The internet is filled with writing advice—YouTube videos, blogs like this one, craft books, and more—some of it contradictory. So how do you know what writing advice you should listen to?
As an editor and writer, I have an odd relationship with prescriptive advice. The editor side of me thinks writers should learn the rules and listen to writing advice. The whole reason I started this blog was that I was giving the same advice over and over to several of my clients who were new writers. I wanted to help them learn the basics of what makes good writing, and I wanted this blog to be a resource for them and other writers.
The writer side of me, however, believes in being creative and not letting a set of rules dictate what you write. (Though even that side of me doesn’t think writers should go around breaking rules just because they want to.)
In truth, there is a balance between the two. Learning rules and techniques will help improve your writing, but sometimes it is necessary to break the rules. There’s even writing advice out there you can ignore.
But if there’s no set yes-or-no answer to whether you should follow writing advice, how do you know which pieces of advice to listen to and which to disregard?
When You Should Follow Popular Writing Rules
If one of the following applies to you, consider following the rules or at least experimenting with them.
You’re a Newer Writer
If you’re just starting out or if you haven’t been writing for very long, you ought to learn the craft. The rules will help you improve your writing.
Remember the first time you rode a bike. You needed training wheels, right? Popular writing advice is the training wheels. Eventually, you won’t need them, but while you’re learning, they’re really helpful in making sure you don’t fall over.
In time, you’ll take the training wheels off, and maybe you’ll even be able to ride with no hands or do tricks you never could have imagined the first time you rode.
Too far with the metaphor?
My point is that there is a reason for following writing advice when you first start out. There’s a reason there are so many blogs, YouTube channels, and craft books dedicated to teaching people how to write. Learning the basics will help you hone your skills.
It Resonates with You
The first time I read Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, the book opened a whole world of possibilities for me. Suddenly, I understood how structure could be used to write powerful stories, and I had tons of ideas for my WIP.
Sometimes you stumble on a piece of writing advice that unlocks something in your brain and inspires you to improve your story. Listen to that. Use it to improve your writing.
Advice like this doesn’t always feel like an epiphany. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it takes contemplating or experimenting to know if it works for you, which is why you have to test out different recommendations.
It Improves Your Writing
When you experiment with a popular writing rule, and you can see an improvement in your writing, there’s no reason not to follow that rule. If you’re reading this post, you’re likely someone who wants to improve your craft, and this is a simple way to do that.
It’s From Someone You Respect and Want to Emulate
Writing advice is worth exploring when it comes from authors or writers you respect or whose work you enjoy. If there’s an author you admire, listening to their advice can help your writing become more like theirs.
You don’t want to copy them, of course, and you also want to keep in mind that what works for them may not work for you. Some authors I admire have word count goals of 2,000 words every day, some write for 4-6 hours a day, and some wake up in the early hours of the morning to write. Some authors outline their drafts in (what I view as) excruciating detail. Those things don’t work for me, and they may not work for you either.
When to Ignore Writing Advice
You can ignore writing advice in the following instances.
It Doesn’t Resonate with You
I’ve heard lots of writers and authors testify about outlining and how it has helped them so much. I’ve tried outlining, and I can see the value in it. However, it has never resonated with me. Perhaps one day it will, but for now, I don’t write extensive outlines.
If you’ve heard or experimented with a piece of writing advice, but it doesn’t feel right, don’t torture yourself by trying to follow that rule. Do what works for you and your creative process.
You Have a Clear Reason for Breaking a Rule
Every rule has a reason for it. When you break a rule, there is an (often negative) effect. That’s why the rule exists. However, sometimes you want this effect.
For example, show, don’t tell is a popular writing rule because telling can be boring, interrupt the story’s flow, or feel like lazy writing while showing is more engaging, immersive, and natural. But there are times when you want to tell, which I discuss in this article.
Break writing rules when you have a purpose for doing so. Just like your characters need a reason for what they do, you need a reason for what you do.
It’s Given as the Only Way to Do Something
I’m hesitant to trust any advice that is presented as “the right way” or “the only way.” Often advice like this comes with fearmongering: “You’ll waste your time and money if you don’t do it this way,” or “You’re a bad writer if you don’t follow this rule.”
There is no one-size-fits-all way to write a book. Every book out there is a testament to that because no two were written in the exact same way.
Writing advice is best tested to see if it is helpful to you, so you can try advice presented like this, but don’t take it as fact.
Storytelling is an art as much as it is a skill. While the rules can be helpful, ultimately, it’s all subjective. You have to experiment with what works for you when deciding what writing advice you should listen to. There’s no one right method to be a writer.
